One example of a related conventional game system is disclosed in a Japanese Patent Laying-open No. 2000-334170 laid-open on Dec. 5, 2000. This prior art includes a video game machine connected to a television monitor and a plurality of portable game machines each of which functions as a controller of the video game machine. When a storage medium storing a game program is attached to the video game machine, the game program is executed by the video game machine and the plurality of portable game machines, and therefore, a game world is displayed on the television monitor and liquid crystal display monitors of the portable game machines. In this case, a player can progress in a game while making one's liquid crystal display monitor as an operation screen and while referring to the television monitor.
However, assuming that a game, such as a racing game, when controlling one's character using a direction instruction key in the prior art system, the following problem arises. For example, in the racing game, a racing course 1 and a plurality of racing cars 2 a to 2c are displayed on the television monitor as shown in FIG. 20, and the racing car 2a operated by any one of players is displayed on the liquid crystal display monitor of the player as shown in FIG. 21 (A) or FIG. 21 (B). While the racing car 2a drives at a place A shown in FIG. 20, a direction or posture of the racing car 2a is the same with respect to the television monitor and the liquid crystal display monitor as understood from FIG. 20 and FIG. 21(A). In this case, even if the racing car 2a is operated with viewing any one of the television monitor and the liquid crystal display monitor, an instruction for moving in the right direction by the direction instructing key, turns the racing car 2a to the right.
However, when the racing car 2a runs at a place B shown in FIG. 20, the direction or posture of the racing car 2a is inverted with respect to the television monitor and the liquid crystal display monitor as understood from FIG. 20 and FIG. 21(B). In this case, if the operation screen is the liquid crystal display monitor, it is appropriate that the left direction is instructed so as to make the racing car 2a direct to the left direction. On the other hand, irrespective of use of the liquid crystal display monitor as the operation screen, in a case one's racing car 2a is operated observing the whole game world, there is a need for the car to be directed to the left direction which is opposite to the right direction a character on the television monitor is to be directed.
Thus, in a game utilizing the direction instructing key, a moving direction of the character (instructing direction with respect to the character) may be inverted between the television monitor and the liquid crystal display monitor depending on the direction or posture of the character. Therefore, in a game system in which the game progresses using the liquid crystal display monitor as the operation screen referring to the television monitor, the player feels a sense of trouble when the moving direction of the character is inverted.
Therefore, it is a primary feature of the present invention to provide a novel game system.
Another feature of the exemplary embodiments is to provide a game system and game program capable of improving the operability of a game utilizing a direction instructing key.
A game system according to the exemplary embodiments displays a game world in which a plurality of characters including a player character operated by a direction instructing key (a reference number indicative of a corresponding component in an embodiment: 10c, and so forth) appear on a common display (300) and an individual display (20) assigned to the player. A first display mechanism (S215) displays on the individual display the game world at a first viewpoint with reference to the player character, and second display mechanism (S115, S137) displays on the common display the game world at a second viewpoint capable of viewing the plurality of characters. When a selection key (10a, 10b) for selecting one of the common display and the individual display as an operation screen is operated, a switching mechanism (S121, S127) switches a setting of the operation screen. When the direction instructing key is operated, a moving mechanism (S133, S235) moves the player character to a moving direction based on a viewpoint of the game world displayed on the operation screen and a direction instructed by the direction instructing key.
Thus, any one of the common display and the individual display is selected as the operation screen, the player character moves in a direction based on the viewpoint of the game world displayed on the operation screen and a direction instructed by the direction instructing key, and therefore, operability of the game utilizing the direction instructing key can be improved.
Preferably, when the individual display is set as the operation screen, the moving direction is determined based on the first viewpoint and the direction indicated by the direction instructing key, and when the common display is set as the operation screen, the moving direction is determined based on the second viewpoint and the direction indicated by the direction instructing key.
In a case a memory storing the position information of the player character is provided, the individual display is displayed with the game world with reference to a position according to the position information, and the common display is displayed with the game world so that the player character exists at the position according to the position information. Herein, the display manner of the game world is preferably changed by renewing the position information of the memory based on the moving direction.
At least a map of the game world capable of viewing a position of the player character may be displayed on the individual display at a second viewpoint. It is noted that display/non-display of the map is controlled in accordance with a setting of the operation screen in one embodiment. Emphasis/non-emphasis of the map is controlled in accordance with the setting of the operation screen in another embodiment.
As a method of controlling the map emphasis/non-emphasis, there are methods of enlarging the map when the common display is set as the operation screen and reducing the map when the individual display is set as the operation screen, and methods of emphasizing a coloring of the map more than the coloring of the game world when the common display is set as the operation screen and emphasizing the coloring of the game world more than the coloring of the map when the individual display is set as the operation screen.
In an embodiment where the plurality of individual displays, the plurality of direction instructing keys and the plurality of selection keys respectively assigned to the plurality of player characters are provided, the individual displays of each of the players are displayed with the game world at a first viewpoint with reference to each of the player characters. The switching mechanism switches the setting of each of the operation screens in response to the operation of each of the selection keys. When each of the direction instructing keys is operated, each of the player characters moves to a direction based on the viewpoint of the game world displayed on each of the operation screens.
A game system according to an exemplary embodiment has the video game machine (200) connected to the common display (300) and the portable game machine (100) having the individual display (20) and the direction instructing key (10c), and displays the game world in which the plurality of characters including the player character operated by the portable game machine appear on the common display and the individual display. In the portable game machine, a first display mechanism (S215) displays on the individual display the game world at the first viewpoint with reference to the player character. When the selection key (10a, 10b) for selecting one of the common display and the individual display as the operation screen is operated, a first moving mechanism (S235) moves the player character to the first moving direction based on the viewpoint of the game world displayed on the operation screen and the direction instructed by the direction instructing key. On the other hand, in the video game machine, a second display mechanism (S115, S137) displays on the common display the game world at the second viewpoint capable of viewing the plurality of characters. The switching mechanism (S121, S127) switches the setting of the operation screen in response to an operation of the selection keys, and the second moving mechanism (S133) moves the player character to the moving direction based on the viewpoint of the game world displayed on the operation screen and the direction instructed by the direction instructing key when the direction instructing key is operated.
Thus, any one of the common display and the individual display can be selected as the operation screen by the portable game machine, and when the direction instructing key is operated, one's character is moved to the moving direction based on the viewpoint of the game world displayed on the operation screen and the direction instructed by the direction instructing key. Therefore, the operability of the game utilizing the direction instructing key can be improved.
The portable game machine preferably comprises a direction data transmitting mechanism for transmitting direction data to the video game machine in response to an operation of the direction instructing key and a first memory for storing position information of the player character. Preferably, the video game machine further comprises a second memory for storing position information of the player character and a position information transmitting mechanism for transmitting position information stored in the second memory to the portable game machine when the position information is renewed. The first moving mechanism renews the position information stored in the first memory by the position information transmitted from the video game machine, and the second moving mechanism renews the position information stored in the second memory based on the direction data transmitted form the portable game machine.
More preferably, the first display mechanism displays the game world with reference to a position according to the position information stored in the first memory, and the second display mechanism displays the game world so that the player character exists at a position according to the position information stored in the second memory.
The portable game machine may be displayed with a map at the second viewpoint of the game world capable of viewing at least a position of the player character on the individual display. It is noted that display/non-display of the map is controlled in accordance with the setting of the operation screen in one embodiment. Furthermore, emphasis/non-emphasis of the map is controlled in accordance with the setting of the operation screen in another embodiment.
The exemplary embodiments also include a method of enlarging the map when the common display is set as the operation screen and reducing the map when the individual display is set as the operation screen, as a method of controlling the emphasis/non-emphasis.
A game system according to the exemplary embodiments has the video game machine (200) connected to the common display (300) and the portable game machine (100) having the individual display (20), and displays the game world in which the plurality of characters including the player character operated by the portable game machine (100) appear on the common display and the individual display. In the portable game machine, a first memory (18) stores the position information of the player character. A first display mechanism (S215) displays the game world on the individual display at the first viewpoint with reference to the player character based on the position information stored in the first memory. When the switching instructing key (10a, 10b) is operated for instructing switching of the operation screen between the common display and the individual display, a switching instructing information transmitting mechanism (S219, S225) transmits switching instructing information to the video game machine. When the direction instructing key (10c) for instructing moving of the player character in an arbitrary direction is operated, a direction instructing information transmitting mechanism (S231) transmits the direction instructing information to the video game machine. When a position information receiving mechanism (S233) receives the position information of the player character from the video game machine, a rewriting mechanism (S235) rewrites the position information held in the first memory by the received position information. On the other hand, in the video game machine, the second memory (40) stores position information of the player character. The second display mechanism (S115, S137) displays the game world on the common display at the second viewpoint capable of viewing the plurality of characters including the player character based on the position information stored in the second memory. When a switching instructing information receiving mechanism (S117, S123) receives the switching instructing information from the portable game machine, the switching mechanism (S121, S127) switches a setting of the operation screen according to the received switching instructing information. Furthermore, when a direction instructing information receiving mechanism (S129) receives the direction instructing information from the portable game machine, a renewal mechanism (S133) renews the position information of the player character held in the second memory on the basis of the received direction instructing information and the setting of the operation screen. A position information transmitting mechanism (S135) transmits the renewed position information to the portable game machine.
Thus, the direction instructing key is operated, the position information of the character is renewed based on the instructed direction and the setting of the operation screen, and the game worlds of the common display and the individual display are renewed on the basis of the renewed information. Accordingly, it is possible to improve the operability of the game utilizing the direction instructing key.
The position information is preferably renewed such that the player character moves in the moving direction based on the viewpoint of the game world displayed on the display screen and the direction indicated by the direction instructing key.
In an embodiment where case the plurality of portable game machines and the plurality of player characters are individually operated, the first memory of each of portable game machines is stored with the position information of the plurality of player characters. One's individual display of each of the portable game machines is displayed with the game world at the first viewpoint with reference to one's player character. Each of the portable game machines receives the position information of the player characters from the video game machine, and the received position information is stored in the first memory of the portable game machine. On the other hand, the video game machine displays on the common display the game world at the second viewpoint capable of viewing the player characters. Furthermore, when the switching instructing information is received, the setting of the operation screen of the transmission source is switched, and when the direction instructing information is received, the position information of the player character operated by the transmission source is renewed based on the received direction instructing information and the setting of the operation screen of the transmission source. The renewed position information is transmitted to each of the portable game machines.
A game program product according to an exemplary embodiment involves the video game machine (200) connected to the common display (300) and the portable game machine (100) provided with the individual display (20), and displays the game world in which the plurality of characters including the player character operated by the portable game machine appear on the common display and the individual display. Thus, the portable game machine executes a step for storing the position information of the player character in the first memory (S211), a step for displaying the game world on the individual display at the first viewpoint with reference to the player character based on position information stored in the first memory (S215), a step for accepting an operation of the switching instructing keys (10a, 10b) for instructing switching of the operation screen between the common display and the individual display (S217, S223), a step for accepting an operation of the direction instructing key (10c) for instructing moving of the player character to an arbitrary direction (S29), a step for transmitting the switching instructing information to the video game machine when the switching instructing key is operated (S219, S225), a step for transmitting the direction instructing information to the video game machine when the direction instructing key is operated (S231), a step for receiving position information of the player character from the video game machine (S233), and a step for rewriting the position information held in the first memory by the received position information (S235). On the other hand, the video game machine executes a step for storing position information of the player character in the second memory (S113), a step for displaying the game world on the common display at the second viewpoint capable of viewing the plurality of characters including the player character based on the position information stored in the second memory (S115, S137), a step for receiving the switching instructing information from the portable game machine (S117, S123), a step for receiving the direction instructing information from the portable game machine (S129), a step for switching a setting of the operation screen according to the received switching instructing information (S121, S127), a step for renewing the position information of the player character held in the second memory on the basis of the received direction instructing information and the setting of the operation screen (S133), and a step for transmitting the renewed position information to the portable game machine (S135).
Thus, when the direction instructing key is operated, the position information of the character is renewed based on the instructed direction and the setting of the operation screen, and the game worlds of the common display and the individual display are renewed based on the renewed information. Accordingly, it is possible to improve the operability of the game utilizing the direction instructing key.
The above described features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.